Sorting out the drainage in the lower field and other gubbins. An apprentice digger driver writes.

[Smiffy]

I have no idea what this means. My Kingpost swings or pivots btw, it doesn't track parallel like some do (I think) if you see what I mean.

If you turn your kingpost slightly then use the main slew it has the effect of moving the boom in a parallel fashion to what your trying to dig. So if you are digging a long straight trench each time you track back you adjust the kingpost to make sure you follow a straight line.

Can also be used to help you get the boom square to a bucket when changing buckets. To change the angle of attack when digging out a rock or root. To allow you to work closer to the machine in tight circumstances. And when scraping up so the bucket pulls the pile into a tighter pile rather than spreading it out. Basically before moving the tracks think if you can achieve the same effect by moving the kingpost

 

[LKSF]

If you turn your kingpost slightly then use the main slew it has the effect of moving the boom in a parallel fashion to what your trying to dig. So if you are digging a long straight trench each time you track back you adjust the kingpost to make sure you follow a straight line.

Can also be used to help you get the boom square to a bucket when changing buckets. To change the angle of attack when digging out a rock or root. To allow you to work closer to the machine in tight circumstances. And when scraping up so the bucket pulls the pile into a tighter pile rather than spreading it out. Basically before moving the tracks think if you can achieve the same effect by moving the kingpost

Ok i'm with you, thanks I'll have a play around with it next time i'm out and give it a go.

 

[LKSF]

I used to regularly pass by a stables who left their hoss muck outside already bagged. I picked up a few tons for the garden over a few months so made some composters from pallets. I then researched how to make compost and you need what they call green and brown ingredients. All I had was poo which is green so it was never going to be the best. I didn't have any machinery back then either, so it was time to lift it all up and start a better one elsewhere.

I'd made them cheaply and demountable out of old pallets so they came apart easy enough:

Full of red compost worms:

Sorry, hope you've had your breakfast

In with Benford and the JCB:

As you can see here i'm very close to a drystone wall so using my new found technique (from above, thanks!) was able to swing on the kingpost without knocking it down

Still got the lot Number painted on old Benford there

This is where all those moorland rushes come in that i'd cut down recently:

Under there is more muck, green kitchen waste, ash from the stove, cat litter etc. Not much goes in the bin here!
I then mixed it all up with the digger and left it, will see what kind of compost it makes.

If you look back at one of the pics you'll see some black tanks on the hillside, that used to be (until only about 10yrs ago) the water supply to the house, it's on a borehole now as the spring up there does slow to a trickle if it hasn't rained for a while.

 

[JD450A]

If you look back at one of the pics you'll see some black tanks on the hillside, that used to be (until only about 10yrs ago) the water supply to the house, it's on a borehole now as the spring up there does slow to a trickle if it hasn't rained for a while.

Are you still running off than tanks as well or solely on a borehole system? Much difference in quality between the spring tanks and the borehole water or not?

 

[LKSF]

Are you still running off than tanks as well or solely on a borehole system? Much difference in quality between the spring tanks and the borehole water or not?

The house is solely borehole, but the tanks and pipework are still in place for the spring water, so it would be easy to go back to it. I think i'll maybe connect the toilets up to the spring, but leave borehole to taps. Outside in the yard is a tap from the spring, i'm also going to create a system to water the plants from it.
They're both very heavy in Iron, Manganese and a little turbid (cloudy to you or I), but that is typical of this area. Neither have ever shown traces of bacteria which is obviously the main one to avoid. It's not far off neutral Ph. It's being filtered through iron rich rocks you see, I think in my 803 thread I might have posted a pic of a lovely piece of it I dug up.
I would have to refer back to some tests, but we've got something like 20 times the recommended amount of iron and 10 times Manganese. Whilst it isn't harmful unless you're an OAP or pregnant we are going to have a filtration system fitted. It does actually taste metallic, but the staining is the worst thing. All the sinks, basins and bath etc go brown, as does anything light coloured which is immersed in it, shower curtain is brown for instance and she daren't wash anything white she owns. Don't laugh (much), but her hair has gone from light brown/blonde highlights to deep ginger!

Filtration systems is a vast, technical and difficult subject to get into, i've tried as I want to know about what someone is doing for us, but failed. Every company who quotes varies massively on price and the way they deal with it. They are not cheap, with what we have it's going to be from £2.5 up to £4k and that's without UV for bacteria. They also want to come out yearly to service it and there are ongoing consumable costs.
It needs to be near a drain to backwash into. Backwash means to reverse the flow through the filters to clean them out.
I guess if you're filtering less it could be cheaper.

 

[V8Druid]

Are you still running off than tanks as well or solely on a borehole system? Much difference in quality between the spring tanks and the borehole water or not?

interesting Q Rory ..... used to do a lot for an outfit called Apex Drilling whenever they were working in this area ... quick repairs for them ... they were here once doing a bore hole up on a mountain locally and were telling me they'd done in the region of 12+ holes on one site trying to find a salmonella free source ... were down 1300+ feet in places ... amazed me ..... these guys guarantee a quality source, for a fixed price .. hence always being busy
IIRC they were from Bridgend area or may have been Somerset

 

[LKSF]

Out of interest there is actually a national borehole map online which is publicly available to view For some reason ours isn't on it, but the houses higher up are, there are diagrams and explanations of them, one is disused.

 

[V8Druid]

The house is solely borehole, but the tanks and pipework are still in place for the spring water, so it would be easy to go back to it. I think i'll maybe connect the toilets up to the spring, but leave borehole to taps. Outside in the yard is a tap from the spring, i'm also going to create a system to water the plants from it.
They're both very heavy in Iron, Manganese and a little turbid (cloudy to you or I), but that is typical of this area. Neither have ever shown traces of bacteria which is obviously the main one to avoid. It's not far off neutral Ph. It's being filtered through iron rich rocks you see, I think in my 803 thread I might have posted a pic of a lovely piece of it I dug up.
I would have to refer back to some tests, but we've got something like 20 times the recommended amount of iron and 10 times Manganese. Whilst it isn't harmful unless you're an OAP or pregnant we are going to have a filtration system fitted. It does actually taste metallic, but the staining is the worst thing. All the sinks, basins and bath etc go brown, as does anything light coloured which is immersed in it, shower curtain is brown for instance and she daren't wash anything white she owns. Don't laugh (much), but her hair has gone from light brown/blonde highlights to deep ginger!

Filtration systems is a vast, technical and difficult subject to get into, i've tried as I want to know about what someone is doing for us, but failed. Every company who quotes varies massively on price and the way they deal with it. They are not cheap, with what we have it's going to be from £2.5 up to £4k and that's without UV for bacteria. They also want to come out yearly to service it and there are ongoing consumable costs.
It needs to be near a drain to backwash into. Backwash means to reverse the flow through the filters to clean them out.
I guess if you're filtering less it could be cheaper.

we're spring source here and our biggest issues are scale and sediment after heavy rain ... even though we have header tanks for it to stand to settle, it still ends up getting filtered out .... I do our one micron filters regularly .... obviously don't use huge amounts so our UV system isn't a particularly costly set up ... the filters're cheap enough, so get done (replaced) as necessary (and more frequently than a lot are) .... I buy them by the box of 50 ... 70 quid a pop and installed an additional filter housing unit, from what was here when we bought it ... makes a difference to filter longevity

 

[JD450A]

Out of interest there is actually a national borehole map online which is publicly available to view For some reason ours isn't on it, but the houses higher up are, there are diagrams and explanations of them, one is disused.

The BGS viewer only tends to show boreholes drilled by members of the British Drilling association as part of there thing is voluntary giving BGS borehole records to improve our understanding of UK geology.

A very simple solution to both your manganese and iron would just be big settlement tanks followed by a bank of cartridge filters

If a supplier is talking backwash filters it will be a system that looks not dissimilar to a gas bottle that pushes the water through a media to disapate the manganese and iron. The media will also need occasional replacement.

R.e UV and cartridge filters..... Both are easy to service. UV is a annual cleaning of the glass tube and change the bulb.... Filters are just change the cartridge.......

Did my apprenticeship running a rig and dealing with borehole pumps..... I miss the rig I don't miss the pumps.

 

[V8Druid]

The BGS viewer only tends to show boreholes drilled by members of the British Drilling association as part of there thing is voluntary giving BGS borehole records to improve our understanding of UK geology.

A very simple solution to both your manganese and iron would just be big settlement tanks followed by a bank of cartridge filters

If a supplier is talking backwash filters it will be a system that looks not dissimilar to a gas bottle that pushes the water through a media to disapate the manganese and iron. The media will also need occasional replacement.

R.e UV and cartridge filters..... Both are easy to service. UV is a annual cleaning of the glass tube and change the bulb.... Filters are just change the cartridge.......

Did my apprenticeship running a rig and dealing with borehole pumps..... I miss the rig I don't miss the pumps.

spot on Rory .. as said, I buy my filters by the box as I change them way more regularly than average ..... as also said, turbidity is an issue when it pees down and the filters work over time .... considering putting a third in line to see if I can overcome it .... easier than a.n.other settlement tank ...... ten minutes to change my two and an hour to do the UV ..... need to keep records too since about 2 years ago .... local authorities are now taking a lot more interest in private supplies ... ready to start charging for what's not theirs probably ..... stay off the radar as long as poss @LKSF .... especially if your supply is shared anywhere/with anyone else mucho griefo

 

[DaveDCB]

I have no idea what this means. My Kingpost swings or pivots btw, it doesn't track parallel like some do (I think) if you see what I mean.

Now to blow your mind

 

[LKSF]

View attachment 34527View attachment 34528

Now to blow your mind

Having a bucket which doesn't sway 1" either way would be good enough right now

But yes, It would be very interesting to find out how far excavators have come since my antique was made, I think some of the stuff they do would amaze me.

 

[JD450A]

But yes, It would be very interesting to find out how far excavators have come since my antique was made, I think some of the stuff they do would amaze me.

Don't get too excited.... they ain't changed that much.

 

[V8Druid]

Don't get too excited.... they ain't changed that much.

not in Kingsbridge anyway

 

[LKSF]

The BGS viewer only tends to show boreholes drilled by members of the British Drilling association as part of there thing is voluntary giving BGS borehole records to improve our understanding of UK geology.

A very simple solution to both your manganese and iron would just be big settlement tanks followed by a bank of cartridge filters

If a supplier is talking backwash filters it will be a system that looks not dissimilar to a gas bottle that pushes the water through a media to dissipate the manganese and iron. The media will also need occasional replacement.

R.e UV and cartridge filters..... Both are easy to service. UV is a annual cleaning of the glass tube and change the bulb.... Filters are just change the cartridge.......

Did my apprenticeship running a rig and dealing with borehole pumps..... I miss the rig I don't miss the pumps.

Yes one of the quotes we got included tanks, pros and cons for those I think. Finding room, buying and fitting them, then you've got another pump to run too.
The guy who I think we'll give the job to has said he'll need to soften the water a bit to remove the Manganese, It all stacks up.
He didn't want to mount the gear on the wall above the other stuff so he could take it off to service it (?) but wants to mount it on the floor (which takes up even more room) in front of the existing expansion vessel instead.

 

[V8Druid]

Yes one of the quotes we got included tanks, pros and cons for those I think. Finding room, buying and fitting them, then you've got another pump to run too.
The guy who I think we'll give the job to has said he'll need to soften the water a bit to remove the Manganese, It all stacks up.
He didn't want to mount the gear on the wall above the other stuff so he could take it off to service it (?) but wants to mount it on the floor (which takes up even more room) in front of the existing expansion vessel instead.

" he who pays the piper calls the tune " .. is it just a simple domestic installation or a much bigger jobbie ?

 

[LKSF]

spot on Rory .. as said, I buy my filters by the box as I change them way more regularly than average ..... as also said, turbidity is an issue when it pees down and the filters work over time .... considering putting a third in line to see if I can overcome it .... easier than a.n.other settlement tank ...... ten minutes to change my two and an hour to do the UV ..... need to keep records too since about 2 years ago .... local authorities are now taking a lot more interest in private supplies ... ready to start charging for what's not theirs probably ..... stay off the radar as long as poss @LKSF .... especially if your supply is shared anywhere/with anyone else mucho griefo

It's our supply only. I think the Councils interest is from a health POV, they used to do tests for free, but they charge now. If you've got bacteria problems you've got 3 months to sort it otherwise they'll act (somehow).

Here's a funny thing though, you can only spec a filtration system within 3 months of the test. This sounds ok to begin with, but it means that if you get your system put in as per their test, then have another one done 4 months later and it's different you would have to have another system put in, or more added to your existing!

 

[LKSF]

" he who pays the piper calls the tune " .. is it just a simple domestic installation or a much bigger jobbie ?

Simple domestic.
As I pointed out earlier it's a difficult call when you don't know the first thing about it.
If you want to grow plants you go research it, if you want to know the ins & outs of filtering water then there ain't no handbook on that.

 

[JD450A]

Yes one of the quotes we got included tanks, pros and cons for those I think. Finding room, buying and fitting them, then you've got another pump to run too.
The guy who I think we'll give the job to has said he'll need to soften the water a bit to remove the Manganese, It all stacks up.
He didn't want to mount the gear on the wall above the other stuff so he could take it off to service it (?) but wants to mount it on the floor (which takes up even more room) in front of the existing expansion vessel instead.

Have you got a separate pump house or is it internal? Some of the gear, particularly backwash filters can be irritating.

 

[LKSF]

Have you got a separate pump house or is it internal? Some of the gear, particularly backwash filters can be irritating.

The one pump is in the aquifer, the water is sent into the garage where there is an expansion tank and then across to the house. Sorry I should have said earlier, all the gear is in the garage well away from the house.